What Newcastle chiefs think about Alexander Isak fee as striker joins Liverpool

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Liverpool and Newcastle have agreed a £125m fee but the north east club will not pay any loyalty bonuses to the player, meaning they will keep an extra £5m.

That is an additional £15m on top of the fee Liverpool offered for Isak last month and the money has been put towards Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa.

Approximately 10 days ago, strong speculation emerged that Isak had already started searching for property on Merseyside, and the Sweden international's overnight presence in Liverpool demonstrates his confidence that the transfer would materialise.

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The Toon Army received their opening approach for Isak on August 1, with Newcastle hierarchy promptly dismissing the £110m proposal after considering the bid inadequate.

Liverpool said they would not return with another offer while Newcastle declared their intention to maintain their position when insisting upon an improved bid.

It is understood that the transaction has been viewed as "very strong business" within Newcastle's corridors, with the funds set to be ploughed back into squad strengthening, whilst Isak will not pocket any loyalty payments for his three-year stint at the club following discussions to eliminate any supplementary fees to the player from United.

The fee sets a new British transfer record, surpassing the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in the summer of 2023.

For Newcastle, it represents a record sale for a player bought for £63m in 2022, bringing in more than double what they paid for the 25-year-old.

Despite initial hesitation from the coaching staff, Newcastle pushed through with the deal, with manager Eddie Howe believing that Isak could have been pacified at one point.

However, over two weeks ago, Howe decided that Isak's negative attitude had made the situation untenable from a coaching perspective.

Club bosses felt that leaving Isak to train alone was not the right course of action, especially as the Swedish FA had already scheduled the striker's media duties for next week, potentially setting the stage for a major drama if he remained on Newcastle's books.

The consensus was that the Isak saga should not overshadow the club's preparations for the new season, particularly as Newcastle are yet to secure a win.

Isak told senior players in the dressing room that he was determined to depart and secure his lucrative switch to Liverpool where he will now earn nearly twice his Newcastle salary on a six-year contract.

Howe was frustrated by Isak's poor communication during the club's pre-season tour of the Far East and stated publicly that he had discovered "via the media" that the striker had jetted off to Spain without permission for private training sessions at his former club Real Sociedad.

His conduct irritated some of the senior figures in the dressing room with Dan Burn commenting earlier this month: "We have been together for a lot of years now but I don't think anybody has done anything at this club without each other.

"Nobody has done anything by themselves.